We Needed a Hero
by Commander Alice Shepard
Summary: He always looked up to her. Conrad's thoughts and feelings about Shepard and their interactions through the trilogy. T rating is to play it safe, Conrad's Death is in this piece.


**AN****: ****Right****,****hi****! ****Ah****...****I****'****ve ****had ****this ****idea ****since ****my ****first ****full ****playthrough ****of ****all ****three ****games**** (****using ****an ****Imported ****Character****.) ****and ****saw ****the**** '****Bad****' ****ending ****for ****Conrad****. (****There ****is ****a**** '****Good****' ****one****...****I****'****ll ****explain ****more ****at ****the ****end****.) ****So****...****I****'****m ****on ****a ****break**** (****since ****Quinn****'****s ****cleaning ****the ****dining ****room ****and ****all****) ****so ****I****'****ve ****put ****on**** "****An ****End****, ****Once ****and ****For ****All****" ****from ****the ****Mass ****Effect**** 3 ****soundtrack ****and ****am ****fueling ****myself ****to ****write ****with ****a ****Mountain ****Dew ****Voltage ****and ****a ****Cookies**** '****n ****Cream ****bar****. ****Hoping ****this ****turns ****out ****as ****great ****as ****it ****is ****in ****my ****head****...****oh****! ****My ****Shepard**** (****for ****this ****story****) ****is ****an ****Earthborn ****Sole ****Survivor****, ****and ****a ****Femshep****. ****This****'****d ****probably ****be ****a ****bit ****obvious ****as ****you ****read ****on ****and ****all****,****but****...****Still ****stating ****it ****to ****be ****safe****. ****I****'****ve ****also ****played ****around ****with ****facial ****expressions****/****interactions ****a ****little ****bit****, ****based ****on ****what ****I ****think ****would ****work ****well ****for ****this ****piece****.**

**Artistic ****Freedom****,****I ****guess ****you****'****d ****call ****it****...****I ****stuck ****as ****close ****to ****what ****happened ****in****-****Game ****as ****I ****could****, ****but ****I ****messed ****around ****a ****bit****...****Had ****to ****check ****vids ****once ****or ****twice****, ****since ****I ****can****'****t ****load ****a ****save ****file ****currently****. ****But ****it****'****s ****all ****good****...****if ****you ****enjoy ****it****,****I ****mean****.**

* * *

He knew her the moment he saw her. She wasn't the huge War Hero everyone wanted from a Spectre, but he didn't care. He loved the fact that she wasn't a huge Hero-that she had survived alone in times of trouble.

Anyone could have saved people-on that scale, in that time, but to survive a Thresher Maw attack, that was something to him.

She was his hero-so when he saw her, he promptly waved to her, calling her name and hoping she'd talk to him.

And she did.

Not only did she talk to him, she was polite, taking his questions and requests with ease.

He grew to love her more and more, so the third time he saw her-long after they had first spoken, he felt like she would like his idea.

He was saddened when she didn't, when she said he shouldn't be a Spectre, and he blamed the events on Akuze for it-the events that made her who she is, made her the woman he idolizes and looks up to.

She simply smiled, staying calm through it all as she explained it had nothing to do with trusting-or not trusting-someone, and that he should go home to his wife, to be support for her there.

He saw the truth in her statement-people at home could give hope to those out fighting, give them someone to root for them, to write to them and keep them moving.

So he went home. He still listened for any news of his Hero, and always would.

* * *

He had been about to head out for the day when he heard the news.

He didn't want to believe it, there was no way his Hero, The Great Commander Shepard, Hero of the Citadel, had died.

She had always survived, but now...she was gone forever.

He started looking for replicas or the N7 armor the next day.

* * *

He thought he was doing what was right, but when he turned around to see his Hero, the Quarian and the Turian he recognized from the second time they spoke two years ago, looking almost the same as she had before.

Once he got over the initial shock of her being alive, and in front of him as though nothing had happened, he answered her questions the best he could, hoping she wasn't mad about his comment about her having pointed a gun into his face, when they all knew she hadn't.

Once she heard he had been told to get the deed by an undercover cop, she left,promising she'd be back.

He felt like he couldn't trust the comment, that she was going to leave for good again, but shortly after the cp returned, she came back, smiling that smile of hers and explaining that the asari shopkeeper was under cover, but she wasn't a cop.

She was a terrorist, and she would have been undetected if he hadn't helped.

He could hear the break in his voice-he must seem so pathetic, his voice breaking when he questioned whether he had really helped her.

She didn't seem to think so, she lightly patted his arm, thanking him for his help and asking him to go home, the same as she had the last time they met.

Nodding, he agreed to do so-he had helped her, and she was alive.

He was OK with going home...and along the way, he founded 'Shepards', so he could help those in need in a more orgonized fashion.

* * *

She dropped out of the news for a little while after the Collectors were gone. Looking for her again, and wanting to do things correctly, he joined Ceberus-surely, she'd appreciate him joining her side of things.

When he saw her on the Citadel however, while he attempted to recruit people for Ceberus, he found he had screwed up again, and that Ceberus wasn't good-they were evil.

He felt terrible-he had failed with Shepards when the Reapers, he had failed with the military, and he had been used to sabotage the Medi-Gel.

This wasn't going to end very well.

Still, when he heard she had fixed them, he ran to where she was, so he could apologize, and-as a gesture to apologize- he pointed out his contact, shouting that he was under arrest.

He didn't expect the gun.

But he couldn't let her die-he didn't even think before he dove in front of her, the bullet ripping into him as he fell to the floor at her feet.

He heard her walk away-was she going to leave?-and the sound of bone hitting bone, before she was kneeling next to him,moving him slightly to rest in her lap.

He knew he wasn't going to last-he could feel his life draining already.

But he still managed to ask if he had helped.

Her answer of 'Yes' made it worth it.

He had lived to look up to her. And he had died saving her.

He would be at peace, he realized, as his eyes slowly shut, her voice one of the last things he heard before he was enveloped in complete darkness.

* * *

**So****...****what ****do ****you ****guys ****think****?**

**I ****chose ****to ****go ****with ****the **** '****Bad****' ****ending****, ****in ****which ****he ****dies****, ****since ****my ****first ****playthrough ****I ****didn****'****t ****help ****Jenna****. ****If ****you ****do ****help ****Jenna****, ****in ****Mass ****Effect**** (1), ****Conrad ****doesn****'****t ****die****. ****Hence ****the**** '****Good****' ****Ending ****for ****him****.**


End file.
